Kickstart
by RavageDarkness
Summary: A romance can start a lot of different ways. For Fox and Samus, it all started with a kick.
1. Chapter 1

So, how did it start?

That's the question that is usually asked by someone whenever one wants to know the story behind a relationship. A lot of people would have different, yet not uncommon answers – a meeting at a bar, next door neighbors in a community or apartment building, seeing each other at their friend's or friends' wedding, etcetera and etcetera.

But, I'm Fox McCloud. My life is anything but "not uncommon". So how did my relationship start?

Well, it started with me kicking the woman-of-my-life-to-be in the head.

…I guess I should provide context.

See, I take part in this fighting organization called Super Smash Brothers – SSB for short. It's a promotion that brings fighters from different walks of life together to compete against one another. It was meant as a way to bring together people from different worlds, galaxies, and even alternate universes. And it work, to the point where a whole city – Smash City – was established around the fighting facility that doubled as a boarding house for the fighters. Over the years, fighters would come and go, but the original twelve fighters – myself included – stayed through every era. This resulted in us getting a huge following and, in the case of people who have work outside of fighting arena like me, an uptick in business.

During my times at Smash Mansion, I've became a part of Captain Falcon's circle of friends. All of us had one thing in common – we were all people who travel through space often. And in that circle was Samus Aran.

Samus is a Bounty Hunter and, on certain occasions, a mercenary like me. While we were both part of The Original 12 and the aforementioned circle of space travelers, we weren't exactly what one would call close. At most, we exchanged pleasant greetings and had light conversations. But beyond that, I couldn't tell you much about her. I didn't even know what she looked like since I've never seen her outside of her suit.

That was about to change soon.

With the new season of Smash Brothers starting up, there was a series of exhibition matches scheduled for the sake of getting people hyped for it, as per usual. One of the matches pitted me against Samus. The stage was Final Destination, and it was a one stock endurance battle.

Even though it was a mere exhibition match, the two of us went at it like a title was on the line – that was just how we always approached every fight. But something was a little bit off. Every now and again, Samus would stop a few times to adjust her helmet.

During the ending of the match, I took a straight shot in the face from the barrel of Samus's arm cannon. I went skidding across the ground before I came to a halt just inches away from the ledge. With a growl, I forced myself up to my feet. I heard the sound of a heartbeat in my ears. I just knew I was close to losing all of my hit points. I looked towards Samus. She didn't try to finish me off. Once again, she was adjusting her helment. A part of me wanted to know what was up, but I immediately shoved that thought into the back of my mind. I decided to try and take advantage of my small opening.

Using my Fox Illusion, I quickly dashed forward. I stopped just a foot short of Samus. With a yell, I performed a back flip. I was hoping to send her upward into the air. I did end up hitting her in the head. However, she didn't fly upward.

Her helmet did.

Once I landed on my feet, I straightened up, only to be given pause by the sight in front of me.

I saw Samus's face for the first time. I saw her long blond hair falling down onto her shoulders. I saw greenish blue eyes, which widened in surprise. I saw her mouth go ajar. For a few seconds, I forgot I was in a fight. I just stared at her, floored by the fact that I saw her face for the first time. She stared back at me, apparently shocked at what just happened. Her eyebrows then furrowed up as she brought her cannon and jammed into my chest. Before I could even react, I was sent flying off the stage, courtesy of a charged up shot that I forgot all about.

My whole vision went black for a moment. After some seconds, I was back in the middle of the arena. The crowd wasn't cheering like they usually would. Instead, there were mumbles and murmurs. I looked around for a bit, then looked towards Samus, who walked over to where her helmet landed and picked it up. After that, she turned towards me and gave me a look. It wasn't quite a glare, but it wasn't quite friendly either. I wanted to talk to her about what just happened, but before I could, she turned and walked away. I sighed as I shook my head. I grimaced as I looked out towards the crowd. I gave the spectators a halfhearted wave before making my exit.

Once I was in the entrance hall, I was met by Falco. I apparently didn't look too happy, because Falco decided to forgo the sarcasm as he patted me on my back with his hand.

"Hey, don't worry about it, Fox," he said consolingly. "It's just an exhibition – you'll get her next time."

"I know," I said quietly as I started to walk through the hallway.

"So why are you so glum?" From my peripheral, I could see the look of doubt on his face.

"I think Samus is upset with me." I pushed open the door at the other end of the hallway. I held it open for Falco to walk through. As the two of us walked through the locker room and into another hallway, I continued. "She didn't look the least bit happy about having her face exposed."

"And you think she blames you?"

"Seems like it."

At that, Falco scoffed. "How long has she's been fighting for SSB?"

"Since the same year I started," I replied as we both walked into the mansion itself. I decided to make my way towards the kitchen – I was feeling a bit thirsty.

"And how many fights do you think she's been involved in?"

"…I don't know… hundreds?"

"And how many times have she lost her helmet in a fight prior today?"

"None – what's your point?"

"The point is, with as many fights she has been in, and with Lord knows how many blows she's taken to the face, she obviously knows how to properly put on her helmet. So, if you ask me, I'd say it is user error."

"…" I looked off to the side in thought. I then nodded a couple of times as I shrugged. "Maybe you're right."

"And besides, it's not like it's a huge deal. What do you think is going to happen? You think the internet will break over it?"

That was exactly what happened.

It seemed like every news outlet was making a huge deal about Samus's face being exposed. ESPN ran segments where analysts sat around and talk about the implications of such a "monumental occasion". TMZ ran several episodes and articles about what led to the "Kick of Infamy", with a lot of the stories focused on alleged animosity between Samus and I. And for days, the whole fiasco became top ten trending on Twitter. Making things even worse was the fan mail that came in droves for Samus. She never claimed any of it, leaving the mail to shredded and destroyed.

I got the feeling she wasn't liking the surge of attention from the public. As such, I felt pretty guilty about my role in it, even though I neither intended to expose her nor foresaw any of the stuff that resulted from the occurrence.

So, one afternoon, when I had nothing else on the docket, I made my way over to the women's wing of Smash Mansion. I arrived at Samus's door and stood there for a bit. A part of me wanted to turn back. I didn't know what type of mood she was in.

 _What if she was in a really bad mood?_ That was the question running through my head. The thought of her putting her cannon in my chest and blowing my torso into smithereens crossed my mind. I half smiled, half grimaced, finding the image rather gruesome yet kind of funny. I shook my head – it wasn't like Samus was some psycho-killer.

Finally, I raised my hand knocked on her door a few times in quick succession. I then lowered my hand, waiting for her to open the door. Several seconds passed by. At this point, I internally debated on whether to knock on the door again, or just leave. Before I could decide, however, the door opened up.

There stood Samus, without her suit. She was wearing a pair of blue gym shorts and a white T-Shirt with the SSB logo on it in black. As I looked her in the eyes, I was suddenly aware of our difference in height. _Huh… So her tall stature isn't just the suit._

"…Is everything okay?" she asked.

"…Yeah… sort of…" I said. "You have a minute to talk?" She looked at me wordlessly for a few moments. She then stepped forward. I took a step back to give her room. She closed the door behind her before she leaned back against it. She crossed her arms. After a moment, I spoke again. "Look, I want to apologize for what happened in our fight. I wasn't trying to kick off your helmet – I just saw an opening to attack. I didn't know it was going to lead to… you know… So… I'm sorry."

I trailed off. Samus eyes were locked on to me, and her eyebrows drew a bit closer together.

"Did you tamper with my suit?" she asked.

I tilted my head. "Pardon?"

"Fox, my suit was tampered with. Specifically, one of the locks that keep my helmet in place was damaged. It was working fine the day before our match. Very few people can do such a thing without me catching them in the act, and from what I know of you, you're one of those few. So did you tamper with my suit?"

I gave her a slight glare. "No," I replied, doing everything I could to keep the tone of offense out of my voice. "I don't go around messing with people's stuff – especially not weapons."

Her eyes narrowed a bit. Her eyes shifted a bit, giving me the impression that my expression was being studied. After some seconds, she nodded as she straightened herself.

"Then don't worry about it," she finally said. She turned around, about ready to open the door.

"Hey," I said. Samus looked over her shoulder at me. "Look, I still feel bad about what happened. Is there anything I can do? Like… I don't know… buy you lunch or dinner or something?"

"…You really are hung up over this, aren't you?" she commented.

"…A bit."

"Well, who am I to turn down free food?" She smirked slightly. "Well, I'm booked up for today. There's some bounty hunting I want to get done, and you know how that goes."

"Yeah," I responded with a nod. Even though I was a mercenary, there were times I went after bounties when mercenary work was dry. Technically, there was always work for a mercenary. But considering that I, along with the rest of Star Fox, was a lot more scrupulous than the average mercenary when it came to what jobs we accepted, there were times when we were hard-pressed to find clients we were willing to work for.

"How about tomorrow night?" Samus suggested.

"Sounds good to me," I said. "Want to meet up at six?"

"Sure."

"Then I'll see you then. …Good luck on your bounty hunting."

"Thanks."

After that was said, she opened the door and walked into her room. After she closed the door, I remained there for some seconds. I then smiled slightly as I walked away.


	2. Chapter 2

I've been a fighter for SSB for a very long time, and this was the first time a guy has asked me out for dinner outside of the mansion. Granted, Fox did so because he felt bad about something that wasn't really his fault, but I wasn't going to turn down a free meal. When I got back from collecting a bounty, I went to be thinking that it was just a dinner. We sit down, we eat, and we finally get to know each other after years of just barely being on first name basis.

And yet, about an hour before the time I was supposed to be ready, I was staring at my closet, not knowing what I should wear. I was asking myself questions, like what kind of place was he taking me too, and what would be appropriate clothes for such an occasion. Inwardly, I sighed.

As I stared at my closet, I saw someone move to my right side. I causally glanced in that direction, seeing that it was Peach. I watched her as she stared at my closet for a few seconds before she looked at me.

"…So, what are we looking at?" Peach asked.

"…My closet," I replied before I looked forward. Without even looking at her, I could see her roll her eyes.

"And it's a wonderful closet, but considering that I've only seen you in your battle suits and what could best be described as college girl fashion, I'm surprised you are taking this long to find a wardrobe."

"…Why are we friends again?"

"Because I don't take your introverted nature as hostility, and you don't take offense to my dry wit."

Now it was my turn to roll my eyes. However, I'd be lying if I said there wasn't quite a bit of truth to that statement.

When I joined SSB, I was one of only two female fighters. I didn't mind it too much, but even a Pokémon – that is, Jigglypuff – that can understand what you're saying can only provide so much as female companionship. When others joined a season later, I was a bit reluctant to befriend them – I just figured that the princesses would be spoiled in haughty. But that was far from the truth. Zelda and Peach proved to be rather down to earth and chill. Don't get me wrong, they were princesses through and through, right down to the etiquette, but they never treated me lesser. And I respect that.

"Well, _friend_ , maybe instead of being snide, you can help me," I said.

"With what?"

"I'm just trying to choose an outfit for tonight."

"Tonight?" I looked over at her. Peach gave me a questioning look. "Are you actually going to go out and do something that doesn't involve a bounty?"

"Yeah – Fox is taking me out to dinner tonight." I almost regretted saying that as a suggestive smirk came across her face.

"So like a date?"

"No. It's not a date. He just felt guilty about kicking my helmet off and wanted to make up for it – even if it wasn't his fault."

"…So a pity date."

"Peeaaach!"

"Relax, Sammy, I got you." She then walked up to my closet. "Do you know where he's taking you?"

"No idea."

"So it's probably not going to be that fancy of a place. Which is fine – I may like fine dining, but sometimes a greasy spoon diner will more than do. So, let's see…"

After about half an hour, the two of us finally settled on an outfit for me to wear. I stood in front of the mirror and looked it over. I was wearing a blue short jacket, which was left open to reveal the white t-shirt I was wearing underneath it. I donned on a pair of black cargo pants with a black belt, which had a dull grey buckle. Finishing the ensemble was a pair of black boots.

As I continued to look at myself in the mirror, Peach stood to my right with a smile on her face.

"You know… I can dress you in an old burlap sack and you'd still somehow make people turn heads for the most positive of reasons," she said. I gave her a sideways look as my face warmed up a bit. "Oh don't give me that look. I've been telling you for a while that you're quite the bombshell. And I think Fox sees that, too."

"This isn't a date," I said with a sigh. "It's a dinner between two… well, maybe not friends. Acquaintances, maybe?"

"If you say so," Peach said with a scoff. Her expression sobered up. "But in all seriousness… just have fun."

"…Okay."

Peach left sometime after that. I, for my part, just sat on my bed and passed the time by watching Netflix – I didn't feel like flipping through channels to find something that didn't involve my face being exposed to the world.

I then paused for a moment. It just occurred to me that I was going out… amongst the public. No doubt I was going to be recognized. With a frustrated sigh, I laid myself out. At that moment, I thought about just calling off the whole thing off. Fortunately, or unfortunately, I was taken out of that thought when I heard a knock on the door.

"…So much for that," I muttered to myself. Slowly, I sat up. "I'm coming!" I stood up, took a moment to come to terms with what may come, then walked over to the door. I opened the door to see, as expected, Fox standing there.

He was dressed in black jeans and a black button-up shirt. Said shirt was open, revealing an olive green shirt, which matched the sneakers he had on.

 _Well, he can color coordinate – I'll give him that_ , I thought to myself.

"Evening, Samus," Fox greeted with a smile. "…You look good."

"…Thanks," I said, allowing a small smile to appear on my face. "And you as well."

"Thanks. And you're welcome. …Ready to go?"

"I am." I stepped out and closed the door behind me as he gave me room. The two of then began to walk down the hall. After some seconds of silence, I decided to make some small talk.

"So…" I began. "Which car are we taking?"

"We're not taking a car."

Yeah, instead of a car, we ended up taking one of Star Fox's Arwings. As Fox explained, it was a modified Arwing that allowed for a passenger to sit behind the pilot. It was also a bit lighter than a normal Arwing – its ability to carry bombs was stripped away, but it made it faster and more agile. I could believe it. Once we were in it, we were up in the air in mere seconds. As I looked out of the window, I saw the ground moving farther and farther away.

"Where are we going?" I asked.

"A place where no one will ask any questions or intrude," he replied casually. "When I was trying to find a place where we can go, I figured that, with your face all out there nowadays, you'd probably want some breathing room."

"You figured right," I replied as I looked forward. "Heck, I wouldn't mind a desert planet at this point."

"…Funny you mention that."

After about a thirty minute trip – a trip that would have been longer had it not been innovation of inner-dimension portals – we ended up on a desert planet. I looked out of the window, eyebrows raised.

"What is this place?"

"This is Papetoon – my birth planet," he replied.

"I thought you were from Corneria."

"I was raised there," he said as the Arwing started to descend. "But there was a time I was embedded in Papetoon. During the beginning of the Lylat Wars, I led a group of bandits that robbed Andross's Imperial Guard. That was before we became Star Fox."

"I see."

We eventually landed next to what looked like a small town. As we walked through the town, I looked around at the different people there. Much like Fox, everyone looked like humanoid animals. People were out and about going about their business. There people running shops, there people just lounging about playing what looked like dominos. There were even kids running through the street. For the most part, people minded their own business, though every now and again, we stopped when one of the people wanted to chat with Fox.

Eventually, we arrived at what seemed to be our destination, a sandstone building with a sign that says "Last Pub On The Corner". I looked over at Fox, who looked up at the sign with a bit of a smile. He then looked over at me, same smile on his face.

"This is where we're eating, if you don't mind," he said.

I shrugged. "I'm not exactly the pickiest of eaters," I replied nonchalantly.

According to Peach, my standard for food was officially deemed low the moment I came into my room with a meal from Whataburger.

After Fox nodded, the two us walked in. I looked around the place. It was a bit dim, but not overly so. There were quite a few booths around, along with some normal sets of tables and chairs. The place also had a bar, which was currently being manned by a badger-like man who currently cleaning a mug.

"Welcome to The Last Pub On The Corner," the man said in a somewhat guttural voice. "I hate to tell you this, but the establishment has been reserved for the next two hours. I'm sorry for the inconvenience."

"It's far from an inconvenience," Fox said. The badger stopped in his cleaning of the mug and looked over at us.

"Fox, my boy! Is that you?"

"The very same, Mr. Mason." As he said this, Fox started to approach the bar. I walked with him. Mr. Mason walked from behind the bar. After that, the two of them embraced. I couldn't help but smile a bit. After that, the two of them separated a bit, with Mason holding on to Fox's shoulders.

"It's been a while, my boy! How's the team?"

"The usual, just about," Fox replied with a smile. "Falco is in SSB with me!"

"He's always been a scrapper, that one!" Mason smiled. He then looked at me. "Ah! And I'm guessing this was the friend you wanted to bring along?" 

"Yes. Mr. Mason, this is Samus. She's a fellow fighter at SSB, as well as a…" He trailed off. He looked at me for a moment. I gave him a look of confusion, then smirk slightly.

"I'm a bounty hunter," I said. I then stuck my hand out. "It's pleased to meet you."

"The pleasure is all mine!" Mason took my hand and gave it a hearty shake. "As much as I'd like to play catchup with Fox over here, I urge you two find a table. I'll have a menu out for you as soon as possible."

So, we did just that. We took a booth of our own and looked over the menu. I warned him that I had quite the appetite. He urged me to get what I wanted. So, about a few minutes later, Mason dropped our drinks – that is, two cups of iced kola nut tea – and an order of three servings of steak (two of them for me), a platter of Papetoon Wings for the both of us. A bit to Fox's credit, he didn't seem the least bit fazed by it.

"So, I'm guessing Mr. Mason is a long-time resident here," I asked as I took a sip of my drink.

"Yeah," I said. "The group of bandits I led? He was a member of them. He, and a few others, decided to stay behind on Papetoon when Star Fox was reformed, but he still helps us out every now and again."

"Did you always wanted to become a mercenary?"

"No." He shook his head. "I actually wanted to join the Cornerian Army. But, of course certain events changed things. My father got backstabbed and I had to go into hiding in Papetoon." He then shook his head. "But enough about me – how about yourself? What made you become a Bounty Hunter?"

"Well, long story short… A band of space pirates laid waste to this human space colony I was living on. So, after I was rescued by the Chozo and raised up, I was given a suit, and I started going after the pirates myself. It just so happened that practically every pirate I came across had a bounty on his or her head." I smiled a bit. "Needless to say, I raked in a lot of cash on my quests." I picked up my cup and took a sip from it.

"Sounds like we're not that different," he commented.

"Sounds like you're right," I replied with a smirk.

We spent the rest of the wait for our food trading stories from our respective jobs. It gotten to the point that we even told each other about gruesome injuries that we received. All the while, I was smiling a bit – I was having a good time.

So, of course, things started to go downhill.

The two of us were eating in silence, save for the occasional moans of enjoyment from our meals. During that time, I heard the door open. I didn't pay any attention to who entered as I continued to eat. I did hear Mason speak up.

"I'm sorry, but the establishment is reserved for the next several hours. Please come back tomorrow."

"Oh, we're not here to eat," a voice said. "We're looking for a Cornelius Mason."

At that point, I looked up from my food and looked at Fox, who stared back at me. We then turned our attentions to the group. The group was all wearing trench coats, and they all looked Lylatian. I saw Fox's shoulders drop a bit as he let loose an audible sigh.

"You're looking at him. What is your business?"

"Our business is the 500,000 credits on your head."

At that, Mason scoffed as if it was a minor annoyance. "Andross been taken care of, and the Venom Empire is done fore, and they still have a bounty on my head?" he asked. "Man, the bounties must be dry if you're going after me."

"Look, just come along, and we won't turn this establishment inside out!"

At that part, Fox turned his head towards me. "You wouldn't happen to be armed by any chance, would you?" he asked. I stretched my lips into something that wasn't quite a smile.

"Always," I said. "You?"

"Yup."

"Let's see if Mason dissuade this guy." I then picked up the fork. "As soon as I drop this, we make our presence known."

"Roger that." Fox then smiled apologetically. "I'm sorry."

"That's just how our lives go," I said dismissively.

I continued to eat. All the while, I kept my ears open.

"Look here, young bloods – coming to my planet to come find me was dumb. Coming at current time was even dumber. Trust me, that 500 grand on my head is not worth it. So just run along and let me run my establishment in peace."

That's when I heard the sound of laser pistols powering up.

"I don't think you heard us, old man. Walk out with us while you're still breathing, or we'll drag out your corpse." In response, Mason sighed as if he was a teacher dealing with an extra-difficult student. I took one last bite of my steak before raised my fork up and dropped it.

"Welp, can't say I didn't warn you idiots," Mason said.

Three things happened at that point. Fox quickly stood up and turned towards them as he pulled out two pistols and aimed it at them. I stood up as well. As I did so, I summoned my suit. In a flash of light, it covered me. I trained my arm cannon on them as I glared at them, though I doubt they were close enough to see my expression. Finally, Mason reached underneath the counter and pulled out a rifle. He cocked it once as the apparent bounty hunters looked around at all three of us.

"As I said before, coming in here was dumb. Especially my guests over here. You have even heard of one of them. Does the name Fox McCloud ring a bell?" I saw one of them visibly gulp. I smirked a bit. "So what's it gonna be?" 

We all stood there, ready to fire. Eventually, the leader wised up.

"Let's go," he said. "Anyone affiliated with Star Fox ain't worth going after."

"And don't you forget that!" Fox said with a snarl. We watched them as they left, not dropping our weapons until their out of the door. I sighed as I dropped my cannon. Fox holstered his pistols, and Mason put away his rifle and went back to cleaning a mug. I looked at Fox, who looked back at me sheepishly.

"So… shall we continue dinner?"


	3. Chapter 3

She didn't want to continue dinner.

A part of me wanted to protest, but I fought against my urge to insist we stay. Instead, I asked Mr. Mason to box up the rest of our food so we could take it to go. After the two of us bid him our farewells, we made the walk back to the Arwing. We didn't say a word during the walk. Every now and again, I glance at her, just to see how she was. Every single time, she had this look on her face that'd made me think she was on the verge of killing the next person she saw.

I wasn't feeling too hot either. I didn't like having my dinner being disturbed. I didn't like being forced to go Star Fox mode. And I don't like anything like that happening when I'm on my own home world. But making all of that even worse was that it happened when I was just trying to have a good time with Samus.

So, as I sat in the cockpit, glaring out through the canopy as we made the trip back. The ride was mostly silent. As soon as I came out of the wormhole, I couldn't help but sigh.

"Don't," Samus said. I looked over my shoulder at her, eyebrows raised.

"Huh?"

"Don't beat yourself up over this. You did nothing wrong."

"…" I nodded before I looked forward.

"For what it's worth, I had a good time until we were rudely interrupted." I looked over at her again. This time she had a slight smile on her face. That smile faded a few seconds afterward. "…You ever feel like you have a switch inside of you?"

"Like a Nintendo Switch?" I joked.

She gave me a slight glare. I sheepishly chuckled before going silent.

"No, Fox. I mean a switch-switch. Like, I feel like there are two sides of me. People know me mostly as this bounty hunter who'd track you down to any planet, any system, or even any galaxy just to bring you in dead or alive. But… there's a part of me that just wants to chill at times, whether it just be binge-watching shows, hanging out with Peach… or having dinner with interesting people."

I smiled at that last bit as I looked forward.

"The thing about me is… it takes only a moment to go from the Samus who wants to just relax to Samus Aran the Bounty Hunter… but it takes me a good while to switch back. …I wanted to stay, Fox. You're great company and Mason's a gracious host. But after that intrusion, I would've had my head on a swivel the whole time. Ever had that feeling?"

"I really wish I can say I never had," I replied. "That was basically me after Andross was defeated. I only felt comfortable in Corneria and Papetoon for a while. And even in those places, I made sure to keep my pistol on me. It took me a while to get over it – especially since a lot of the remnants of Andross's army was still out and about. It wasn't a good feeling."

"It never is, is it?" Samus asked, perhaps rhetorically.

"No, it's not," I replied. I then smirked a bit. "I know a great way to deal with it."

When we arrived back at the mansion, I guided Samus to the kitchen. Once there, we split a gallon of ice cream in silence. We didn't say much for the rest of the night. But the smile of content helped me feel better about our dinner being disturbed.

The next morning, I had breakfast along with the rest of the Smashers in the mess hall. I was sitting with Falco and Captain Falcon. The three of us was talking about F-Zero – Falco figured it might be a potential source of income for Star Fox whenever we had dry spells on the mercenary front. As Falcon was talking to us about the average payouts, Samus walked up to us. She was dressed in grey sweats. Some of the other Smashers looked at her curiously, no doubt still not used to seeing her walking around without her suit, let alone with her face exposed. I looked up at her and smiled.

"Hey Samus," I greeted. In response, she gave me a slight smile and a nod.

"Um… Fox, you got a minute? I want to talk to you about something."

"Sure," I said as I stood up. I looked over at Falco and Falcon. "We'll talk later about this." With that said, I followed Samus as the two of us walked out of the mess hall.

Samus led me up to the roof. I stopped at the door and looked up at the sky for a moment. It was a bit cloudy, but it was still a pretty bright day. I turned my attention back to Samus, who was standing near the edge of the roof. I walked up to her side and looked at her face. She didn't stare back. Instead, she looked out towards the forest. I started to look out towards the forest myself, wondering what it was that she wanted to talk to me about. After a few moments, she spoke.

"I'm thinking about calling a press conference at the mansion," she said. I turned my head slightly towards her and raised the right side of my brow.

"What about?" I asked.

She turned her face towards me. She then pointed to said face with her index finger.

"Oh," I mumbled out. I looked off to the side in thought. "But why, though?"

"I just figured that everyone is going to continue to ask questions about that day," she replied as she looked back out towards the forest. "Even to this day, you kicking my helmet off has been dominating the news. I still get letters, you know."

"I see," I responded.

"What do you think?"

At that scoffed. "To be honest with you? If I was in your position, I wouldn't do it. What do you owe them? An explanation? You don't owe the public anything."

I had a thing about people in the public thinking that they deserve the right to know what was going on in my life. They'd say that I lost my right to privacy the moment I've became a public figure. But that's the thing – I didn't ask to become a public figure. All I did was the right thing, and people just happened to pay attention to that. And last time I checked, I've put my life on the line countless times for an entire solar system, if not a whole galaxy. No doubt Samus has done the same. If shedding blood, sweat, and tears for the sake of millions of people isn't enough to earn the right to privacy, then society has us screwed up.

"It's not just about the public." She turned and faced me. "People think what happened wasn't an accident, and that you were in on it, if not 100 percent behind it."

I shrugged. "It doesn't make me feel any type of way."

"I figured as such. But, I can't help but feel a bit bad about people thinking that way about you. And I don't think my silence is helping any. With that said, if I do decide to call the press conference… I want you to be there with me… if you're willing."

I opened my mouth to say no, because I really didn't care if people thought I purposely tried to expose Samus. But as I looked back at her, I saw a certain expression on her face. It took me a moment to get a proper read on it – Samus wasn't exactly the poster-child for extreme emotiveness. But as I took some time to study her expression, I saw a bit of hope in it… with a hint of pleading? Well, whatever it was, that expression gave me a feeling that me being there at the press conference… if she calls for it… would mean a lot to her.

… _Well, crap…_

I felt compelled to be there for her. I had a feeling I would've felt bad had if I wasn't there.

 _Especially considering I'm a huge part of the reason for her face being exposed._

…I'm not always fair to myself.

"…Whatever you decide to do, I'll back you up," I said finally. She gave me a small smile before she looked out towards the forest. Seeing the smile on her face was enough to smirk before I looked out towards the forest myself.

"…Will I have to wear a suit?"


	4. Chapter 4

The funny thing about fear is that it really doesn't follow a logical progression. Like, if one could run faster than a speeding bullet, it's obvious they could outrun even the fastest Olympic sprinter. If one could lift a whole entire mountain, then lifting a Volkswagen beetle would be no sweat. So, using that logic, one would think that standing in front of a crowd of reporters and talking to them would be nothing to a bounty hunter who has taken on boatloads of the most dangerous criminals in the galaxy singlehandedly.

One would be wrong.

I stood behind the podium, looking at the many reporters that sat in the seats in front of me. As I stared at them, I thought about what I was going to say. I didn't even know how I was going to start. At this point, I kicked myself for not going to Peach or Zelda for advice. It occurred to me at that moment that they'd probably have experience in this department, them being political figures and all.

I took in a breath and looked over to my right at Fox, who was sitting at the table to the right of me, along with Master Hand and a few other executives. He was actually dressed up in black slacks, a white business shirt, and a black tie. A part of me wished I put more effort into my outfit, rather than don the red official SSB long sweats that I was wearing.

Hindsight can be annoying.

After a few moments, Fox looked over at me. He blinked once, then gave me a small smile and a nod. I nodded back. I took in a breath and looked out towards the reporters.

It was time to get it over with.

"Good afternoon," I began. "I'm not usually one for speeches of press conferences, but… I decided to make an exception. As most, if not all of you, already know, my face was exposed in an exhibition match with Fox McCloud, who sits to my right." Using my peripheral vision, I looked at Fox. He didn't show any type of movement, save for a slight movement of his ears. "All of you may be wondering why I kept my face hidden. Unfortunately, for you, I have no intention of answering that question. To be very honest with you, I'm the type of person who only let the people close to me know something so personal. So, sorry to say, I won't let you in on that one.

"However, the reason behind this press conference is due to a rumor that has been floating around. Specifically, it's the rumor that Fox attacked me with the intention of knocking off my helmet, that what happened to me was planned by him. I admit that, prior to this event, I didn't really know him that well. Even now, I can't say that I know him as well as most of the fighters here. But I trust my judgement of character. Fox has been one of the most honorable people I've been around. And despite the fact that the incident wasn't really his fault, he expressed guilt over it.

"I say all of that to say this – you can say, speculate, and discuss what you will about me. It wouldn't be the first time questions have surrounded me, and I doubt it will be the last. However, I would heavily appreciate it if you didn't drag Fox through the mud – he deserves better. Any questions?"

The reporters murmured amongst themselves. I stared at them for some seconds, then looked over at Fox. He looked at me. I gave him a slight smile and a wink. He smiled slightly and closed his eyes as his the fur on his face became a bit more vibrant.

I later found out that was his way of blushing.

"Um, Ms. Aran?"

I looked out towards the reporters to see a man in a gray polo stand up.

"Yes, I'm Nick Heckler from TMZ Sports. Since we're on the subject of rumors, I wanted to know if you can clear up another for me. I don't know how privy you are to the latest rumors, but there was an alleged leak regarding the incoming fighters this year. Relevant to you is that the leak stated that Ridley and Dark Samus were going to be promoted to being active fighters. Is this true?"

"…Excuse me?"

Before anything else could be said, Master Hand stood up.

"This press conference is over!" he yelled out. I looked at him and watched him as he and the other executives walked out. I looked over at Fox, as if he could give me an answer. Fox merely shrugged his shoulders in confusion. Sighing, I quickly left the podium and walked after Master Hand.

It didn't take long for him to be found. He was in the hallway, talking with one of the executives. He nodded a few times, then looked at me. As I approached him, he looked back at the executive.

"We'll talk about this in a meeting tomorrow," he said. "Let me talk to her." The executive walked away as I came to a stop in front of Master Hand. He smiled at me. "I think you did great up there, Samus. I think Fox really appreciated…"

"Is it true?" I asked. I couldn't keep the glare off my face. Master Hand looked at me with raised eyebrows. He then frowned.

"Samus, you know that we never talk about incoming fighters until everything is set. As such, given the nature of your question… If it is true, we'll talk. But as of now, I can't answer that."

I kept my eyes locked onto him. I felt the urge to summon my suit and press my cannon against his face. I think he knew that, too, as he visibly gulped. Instead of doing that, I scoffed loudly.

"You already did," I said grimly before I walked away.

I went straight to the gym. After taping of my fists and grabbing a pair of gloves from the gear closet, I decided to blow steam by going one with a heavy bag. One round turned into two, two turned into three… honestly, I didn't remember how long spent punching away at the bag. But by the time I was done, there were several holes in it, which caused the sand in it to seep out and make a pile on the floor like an hourglass – minus the glass. I sat on the ground a few feet away, my sweatshirt removed, leaving my top half bare, save for the black sports bra I had on underneath.

"You know, it's a good thing the equipment manager gets paid really well," a voice said. I slowly turned my head towards Fox, seeing him walk up to me with a couple of bottles in his hands. He stopped in front of me and kneeled down. He brought one of the bottles out towards me. "Because the way we go through equipment here, it's enough to make someone re-evaluate their life choices."

I scoffed as I took the bottle from him. I nodded at him before I took the offered drink.

"Coconut Water?"

"Yeah." He turned his body as he sat next to me. "I went looking for you, and Peach said you were most likely blowing off steam here. So, I figured you could use some electrolytes."

"I see." I twisted the cap off of the bottle and took a sip. "Thanks."

"You're welcome," he replied. "…So, feeling better?"

"…A bit."

"Want to talk about it?"

"Not really."

"…Okay."

I looked at him, watching as he twisted the cap off of his bottle and started drinking from it. I waited for him to ask a question, or say anything to press the issue. He didn't. Instead, he talked about something else.

"Thanks," he said.

"For what?" I asked.

"For sticking up for me up there."

I shrugged. "It's not really much. It's the bare minimum, really. Like I said before, I didn't want people to think that way about you." I then smirked. "Besides, I thought you didn't care whether I stick up for you or not."

"I also don't care if I went the whole day without a cupcake. But if someone gives me a cupcake, I'd still appreciate it." I looked away for a moment. I then tilted my head briefly in acknowledgment.

"I guess you're right." I looked at him. "Well, in that case, thanks for checking up on me."

"You're welcome."

We went silent again. I looked off to the side in thought in once more. "Hey Fox?"

"Yes, Samus?"

"May I ask you a question?"

"Sure."

"…Remember the season that Andross became a trophy?"

I looked at him. I saw his expression change a bit. I saw his white eyebrows draw together a bit. For a moment, I could have sworn I saw his eyes briefly glow a shade of red.

"I do," he replied. While his lips moved, his jaw remained closed. "What about it?"

A part of me wanted to just drop it. It was obviously still a sore spot for him. But I decided to press on. "I wanted to know how you took it."

"…It wasn't exactly my best moment. When the news broke, I dropped everything and made a beeline to his office. Falco followed me, trying to get me to calm down. I kicked open the door and yelled at him. He tried to explain to me calmly why he made that decision. All that did was piss me off more." He sighed as he looked towards me with a look of slight embarrassment. "…I pulled my gun on him."

"Are you serious?!" I said in an exclaimed whisper.

"Very. I probably would have shot him, too. Fortunately, Falco immediately took me down before I did. As I was being restrained, Master Hand actually expelled me from SSB."

"…But how come no one else heard about you being expelled?"

"Well, before the announcement was made known to the others, Falco went and vented to Zelda about it," Fox explained. "And then I got contacted by Zelda, who asked if I could meet with Master Hand at Hyrule. Reluctantly, I went. Master Hand and I sat a room inside of Hyrule Castle and had a talk, with Zelda playing mediator. I called him out for having a form of my parents killer being used as a fighting mechanism for the sport, and he called me out for expecting him to not do so when Ganondorf and Bowsers were fighters despite the grief they caused a good chunk of the roster in their respective home worlds. After we both aired out our grievances, we came to a compromise – I was suspended for one month without pay, but I remained on the roster and he made it a point to try and tell fighters whenever there was a roster change that would be problematic."

I stared at him for a few moments. "Um… wow…"

"... Did Dark Samus and Ridley becoming fighters strike a nerve?" he asked.

"That obvious?" I scoffed bitterly. "…You know, I could handle them being trophies. They appear for a bit, then they just screw off to wherever. But with them being fighters… I don't know how I can stand being under the same roof as them."

"…What did they do to you?"

"…Dark Samus is actually Metroid Prime, a creature I've fought many times before. It was a Metroid that was empowered by Phazon, this dangerous mutagen. Because of that mutagen, that creature can assimilate different types of weapons, my suit included."

"…And Ridley?"

"Remember those space pirates?"

It didn't take long for Fox to piece it together. "He was a part of them?"

"…He led them."

"…Shit. Samus I'm – "

"Don't," I said. I looked at him with a glare. "Just don't."

"Don't what?"

"Do that thing you do – apologize for things that are not your fault."

"Is there anything I can do?" he asked, concern on his face.

"Nothing at the moment," I replied as I looked ahead.

"…Do you need me to go?"

That actually gave me pause. Did I want him to go? I was doing fine by myself before he came. But then again, hearing his story did allow me to get a new perspective on things. And I wasn't exactly hurting for solitude.

"…No," I said. "I'd rather you stay."

"Okay."

We sat in silence once more. During that time, I was thinking about what would happen if I saw ever saw one of them in the mansion, or even both. Would I keep my composure? Or would I do what Fox did and try to blow them away? There was a part of me that believed I could keep my cool. But it's always easy to say you can do something before you actually have to do it.

All I can do was laugh bitterly before I stand up.

"Come on," I said.

"Where are we going?"

"Anywhere but here. I need a place to clear my freaking head, and you're about the least irritating person or thing around me today, so you're coming with me."

"…Okay…" Fox slowly stood up. He then gave me a onceover with his eyes. "…Aren't you gonna get dressed?"

"I will… once we get to my ship."


	5. Chapter 5

Being on Samus's ship was a bit different for me. Most of the time, when I was on a spacecraft, it was either big enough to be a carrier, or just big enough to hold a seat or two in the cockpit for seating – it was never in between.

As I looked around the ship, it just felt different. It wasn't as large as Great Fox – not by a longshot. But it was large enough for one person – or perhaps even two people – to comfortably live in. Some feet behind the cockpit was a situation room… which seemed to double as a kitchen and dining room, if the nearby stove, fridge, and countertop was any indication. The whole place seemed rather metallic – as expected from the inside of a spaceship.

Some feet away was a beige sofa along with a coffee table and a television set with a few gaming systems hooked up to it.

"Welcome to my humble abode," Samus said cheerfully as she walked towards the fridge. "Make yourself at home. You want anything? Like a snack, beverage…"

I didn't answer at first. I was still taking in the ship. After a few seconds, I looked at her and nodded. "I wouldn't mind some water," I replied.

"Alright. Have a seat." She gestured towards the sofa as she opened the fridge. I walked towards the sofa took a seat on it. I looked down at the coffee table and saw a picture frame. I reached out and picked it up. The picture in the frame was a smiling Samus standing with a rather elderly bird-like man. A part of me wondered if he was Lylatian, but I couldn't remember any Lylatian that looked like him.

"His name is Old Bird."

I looked up at Samus to see her taking a seat next to me, bottle of water in hand.

"He was my second father, after my parents got slaughtered," Samus continued. "He's a gentle soul – a nice contrast from my uncle Gray Voice."

"Was Gray Voice a bad guy?" I asked as I set the frame down.

"No." Samus handed the bottle of water to me. As I took it, she continued. "He was just… Um… was very protective of his kind – The Chozo, that is. He was actually against Gray Voice taking me. So, I thought he hated me for the most part. And yet, it was his DNA that allowed me to survive on Zebes as I grew up. His heart was in the right place, even if some of his actions were a bit… questionable."

"Reminds me of Falco," I said with a smile. I then tilted my head. "So, you got Gray Bird's DNA in you. Does that mean you're part Chozo?"

"I'm also part Metroid," she added as she picked up the remote. "But, keep that part to yourself. Only my friends know that part."

I looked at her for a good second as she saw that. I was a bit surprised to hear her say that. Was I a friend of hers? That was what the statement implied. A part of me found it a little bit funny. Not too long ago, I was almost sure that Samus wanted to blow my head off. And yet, here I was, hanging out with her on her sofa.

Life is funny like that.

"My lips are sealed," I replied, deciding to not overthink it.

"Thank you. So, what are you in the mood for?" As Samus said that, she flipped through the channels. "Just a heads up, I'm not doing a romance flick."

I looked at her, expecting her to have a look of humor on her face. I was a bit surprised to see the solemn expression on her face.

"Not a fan of love stories?" I asked. At that, she scoffed.

"I don't mind a good love story. But half of these love stories aren't good, or even adequate. A lot of them just follow the same two formulas."

"Formulas?"

"Oh yeah, the formulas. Formula number one – the protagonist is going through a rough patch in their lives. And how do they solve their problems? Not by regrouping and thinking long and hard about what to do. Not by seeking advice of trusted friends. Oh no, their problems is solved by engaging in sexual activity with their love interest. Bonus points if said love interest is either, for one reason or another, not one who'd usually be on the protagonist's radar, or a person who is a complete jerk, but we overlook that because he has a soft inside or something like that."

At that, I chuckled. "And Formula number two?"

"Oh, that was one is something special." As she said that, she dropped her remote. I glanced at the screen for a moment, seeing some anime play. I wasn't sure what it was. I looked back at Samus again as she continued speaking. "It's called The Nicholas Sparks formula. You take two characters. Both of them are high-grade eye candy. One is rather busy and doesn't have time for romance. The other one is a loner with commitment issues that owns some kind of pet – likely a horse because it's no doubt the movie will take place in some coastal country town that a Country Music artist would take promotional pictures in for their upcoming album."

I imagined said type of town in my head. I then imagined Blake Shelton in it, sitting in front of a pickup truck with a guitar. I couldn't keep the smirk of amusement off of my face.

"Now, some catastrophe happens that brings them together. Then another character in the story – usually the one that manages to make you legitimately care about them – dies and teaches the characters that life is short, they should go out and blah, blah, blah! You want an extra layer of suspense? Let's have one of the characters already be in a relationship, so that person can be 'rescued' from a 'bad' relationship. And we know that it's a bad relationship because they argue a lot. Because, you know, that totally justifies the other protagonist being a homewrecker."

At that, I laughed. "You've put a lot of thought into this analysis."

"I watch a lot of romance films with Zelda and Peach, unfortunately."

"But you hate them, don't you?"

"The films? Yeah. But I like hanging out with them even more. So…" She shrugged. "And every now and again, I find a gem – like _A Perks of Being A Wallflower._ I like that one a lot. And _Eureka Seven_ was an awesome show, too, because of how they handled the romance in it. I just… I just prefer my love stories to be more realistic and less Hollywood, you know?" She tilted her head. "Unless your life is like that…"

At that, I scoffed. "I don't think love is in the books for me," I replied.

"Let me guess – the mercenary life?"

"Yeah," I said. "…To be honest, I've been in three relationships my whole entire life. All of them ended because life got in the way. Or our lives got in the way. So, I just kind of… well, I wouldn't say I given up. But, finding love ranks almost dead last on my list of priorities." I paused for a bit. "…I'm sounding Hollywood, aren't I?"

"Not really," Samus said with a reassuring smile. "I know how the game goes. It's hard to find someone to love in your life when you're a bounty hunter or mercenary. Very few people want to deal with the baggage. And the ones that do… they don't live long." She then scoffed. "Besides, in my case, I people don't think I'm dating material – they say I'm unapproachable."

"I think you're dating material," I said a bit too quickly than I intended. Samus gave me a look and raised an eyebrow. "I mean… I don't think you're a bad person. I think you're pretty cool. And in all honesty, I think if a guy got to know you, they'd see that and…" I trailed off as I felt my face heat up for some reason. "…I'll shut up now."

Samus continued to stare at me. She then smiled.

"You're sweet, Fox," she said.

I smiled back at her. I didn't know if the smile was because I appreciated the compliment or I was relieved that things didn't get awkward. Perhaps it was a mix of both.

"Thank you," I quietly responded.

"You're welcome. So, about that – " Before she could complete the statement, there was a beeping emanating from near the kitchen. With a sigh, Samus stood up. "Wait here." I nodded. I then watched her as she walked over to the kitchen's island. She tapped the table, causing a hologram of Captain Falcon's face to show up. "Talk to me."

"Hey Samus, I need a…" Captain Falcon trailed off before he turned his face towards me. "Oh, hey Fox. I didn't know you were there. Maybe you can help out as well."

"Help out with what?" I asked as I turned, putting my knees on the cushions as I stood on them.

"There's a situation down in Miami," he explained. "An ambassador from another system is staying in a hotel down there. Unfortunately, there's a band of mercenaries who has the building on lockdown – there's quite the bounty on the man's head and they're looking to collect. The police down there aren't equipped to handle this. I already have Falco ready to help me out. I wouldn't mind two more helping me out – especially since the ambassador is offering loads of cash for his safety."

Samus looked back at me, giving me a questioning glance. After a moment, I nodded. "I guess we'll watch that movie another day," I said.

"Good. I'm sending the coordinates over right now. And don't worry, I'm sure the money will make up for me interrupting your d – "

Samus quickly tapped something on the table, ending the transmission. She then turned towards me, her face a shade of pink.

"…So let me show you the armory," she said quickly.


	6. Chapter 6

The thing about being a mercenary or a bounty hunter is that, when you're out in the field, Murphy's Law can go into effect at any moment. That was something I was reminded of when Falco, Fox, Captain Falcon, and I hit the scene. For the most part, we were able to take care of the assailants while keeping the damage to the hotel to a minimal. Well, sort of to the minimal. One of the mercenaries we were fighting decided that an RPG would have been the best way to try and take me out. I would have just tanked the shot. Unfortunately, Fox didn't know that. He shoved me out of the way.

Fortunately, Fox didn't die.

Unfortunately, his lower legs got blown off from the blast.

Curiously, there wasn't a mess of blood, bones, and flesh. Instead, there were pieces of charred metal and sparking from the ends of wires that came from just below Fox's knees. As expected, though, Fox was on the ground, clenching both his eyes and jaw shut, with his bared teeth muffling the screams of agony.

After it was said and done, the ambassador was safe and unharmed. I left Falcon and Falco to handle payment as I took Fox with me to Corneria as fast as I could. Once we reached the hospital, he was immediately taken in. I went back to my ship once he was checked in and remained in Corneria's orbit for about a day. During that time, I contacted Master Hand and gave him the details about what happened. All the while, I wondered about Fox. Actually, I started to wonder about him and Falco. I always figured that the two of them were flesh and blood. I started to wonder if they were robots – or, at the very least, cyborgs.

After a couple of days, I was contacted by one of the doctors, telling me that Fox was ready to be seen.

Dressed in my Zero Suit, I walked through the halls until I reached the room that Fox was in. Slowly, I opened the door and poked my head inside. I saw Fox, sitting the hospital bed in a hospital gown. It looked down at his lower legs. Sure enough, they were metallic, and looked almost skeletal. The metal had a polished looked to them, giving me the impression that they were full replacements.

I looked back at Fox's face, just in time to see him look up and see me. He smiled. He didn't look the least bit down about what happened. If anything, he looked as if this was an annual checkup.

"Hey," he said in a chipper tone. I nodded before I walked in completely, letting the door close behind me. I walked up to him before stopping a few feet short of him. Once again, I looked down at his legs. I then looked up at him.

"…So…" I said slowly. "…Are you like an android?"

"No," he replied with a shake of his head. He swung his legs back and forth. "This is all the metal that's part of my body."

"So, you're a cyborg?"

"…I guess that's one way of putting it." He said this with a brief tilt of his head.

"How would you put it?" I kneeled down, wanting to get a better look at it.

"I like to think of them as advanced prosthetics," he replied.

"…" I looked up at him. He smiled at me. I looked down at his legs. "…Uh… may I?"

"Go ahead," he said. With his consent, I reached out with my hands and gently grabbed hold of his left leg. Slowly, I ran my hands up and down the limb.

"So, how'd you lose them?" I asked.

"…It was done on purpose." I quickly looked up at him. He looked back at me with a solemn expression. "Back where I come from, certain spacecraft are hard to pilot because of the stress the G's would put on the pilot's body. So, when we received the Arwings, there have been times when we almost crashed because our bodies couldn't quite handle the maneuvers. At first, we were given pressure suits, but my team and I felt they were too restricting – we wanted to be able fight on the ground in case something happened and we were forced to land. So, they gave us an alternative – have our legs amputated and replaced with robotic prosthetics. And that's what we did."

"…Huh…" I looked back down on them again. "I wonder why I didn't notice them before."

"You wouldn't have known." He moved his foot around. "What you see is basically the skeleton and muscle. In a couple days, the artificial skin and fat will be added, with fur, pain receptors, and the rest."

"Are the pain receptors needed?"

"I like to think so."

I let go of his leg and stood up. I gave him a bit of a look. "I could have taken that RPG without a problem," I said.

He looked off to the side sheepishly. "…Yeah… That occurred me a second before the explosion. I guess I just acted out of instinct, you know?" He looked back at me and smiled. "But hey, it worked out. I needed a new pair of legs anyway." He chuckled. I didn't. I glared at him. I wasn't one for gallows humor.

Well, not usually.

He cleared his throat and averted his gaze. I closed my eyes and rolled them. After reopening them, I brought my right hand up and placed it on his cheek. He looked up at me. I stared into his eyes for a bit, trying to think of way to say what I wanted to get across.

"…Fox… what you did, while unnecessary, is appreciated," I began. "With that said, if we're going to be working together and hanging out, there are a few ground rules. Rule number one, you're not allowed to die. Rule number two, remember that I can handle myself pretty well on my own. So, please, no more senseless attempts at saving me. And that leads back to rule number one – you, are not, allowed, to die." With each word, I brought my face closer and closer to his until our noses were only one inch apart. "Is that clear?" He nodded. I smiled. "Good."

After a couple of days, Fox was discharged. Like he said before, his metal legs were covered, with the prosthetic skin and fur looking so natural I couldn't even tell they were fake. We took some time to shop for some clothes for Fox. After he found some clothes that fit him, we took my ship back to Earth. During the trip, I took some time to check the status of the payment for the job.

"Ten million credits," I said with a smile as I tapped away at the screen. "Falcon really got us on a good job."

"You're telling me," Fox said. "With this amount, Star Fox got enough money to renovate Great Fox."

"Really? You're not going to splurge a bit?"

"Sometimes I do, but The Great Fox has been needing upgrades since forever, and half the time, the ship seems like it's on its last le – " He stopped himself short and gave me a slightly embarrassed look. "…I'm sorry."

I scoffed shook my head.


	7. Chapter 7

(A/N: So hey, I just wanted to take a few moments to address a couple of things. First off, in regards to the timeline… I'm being anachronistic with the timeline here. As such, things won't align with the Super Smash Bros timeline. As far as chapter length goes… it's going to vary – I tend to just write until I feel I reached a good place to stop. With that said, here's the next chapter)

As time went by, Samus and I became closer. We spent more time together, whether it'd be working together on missions, training for upcoming fights, or just hanging out together. The whole spectacle of Samus's face being exposed, while still present, was waning background noise. With the new season of Super Smash Brothers set to begin soon – along with every fighter from previous seasons set to take part in it – as well as a good amount of newcomers, everyone's focus shifted. And I liked that.

However, things were going to change. Not for the worse but for… the curious.

There was a day when Samus and I were supposed to hang out. Unfortunately, she got called back to her home galaxy for a mission from The Galactic Federation. I was a bit disappointed, but I understood and wished her luck. So, with my night free, there wasn't much hesitation from me when Captain Falcon invited me out to go drinking with him and a couple of the other fighters there.

So, we hit up The Delfino Saloon. It was just a handful of us – myself, Falcon, Falco, Wolf, and Ken Masters (one of the new fighters). As we drank, we talked. We got to know Ken a bit, we talked about past fights, and told some other stories. Naturally, women came up. I stayed silent during that part of the conversation. But, Falco, who tends to be even more frank when he has some alcohol in his system, put the spotlight on me.

"So Fox," Falco said, setting down his mug. "So the boys and I've been talking…"

"Falco…" Captain started to interject, but Falco waved him off.

"Relax, Cap. Fox's my boy. If I didn't bring it up now, it would have been later."

"And besides, it's best if we heard it straight from the kit's mouth," Wolf said with a snide grin.

"…Wolf, we're not cool enough for me not to go upside your head," I reminded with a glare.

"Anyway," Falco interjected before Wolf could say something else to get on my nerves. "We wanted to know – what's going on with you and Samus?"

I gave Falco a look of confusion. "What do you mean?"

"…Well, it's like this," Falcon said. "We've noticed you two have been hanging out a lot – something you guys haven't done before, despite the fact you've been acquainted for years."

"I wouldn't say we were acquaintances." I took a sip of my Hennessy & Coke. Honestly, it was like High School – everyone had, at least, one person they passed by and had small talk with, but knew next to jack about. "We got to talking after… you know. I think she's cool, and apparently, the feeling's mutual. Nothing more, nothing less."

"Where have I heard that before?" Falco snarked.

"Here we go," I muttered.

"You said the same thing about Fara. And you said the same thing about Krystal. Both times, you ended up falling in love. And we all know how that ended."

"Unfortunately, that's the name of the game," I said with a sigh. As you can probably guess, both relationships ended. Both times, it wasn't something I or the person wanted. While I always love the mercenary life, it was occurrences such as those that led to days where I didn't like it so much.

"I'm sorry to hear that, Fox," Ken said. I looked over at him and smile.

"It is what it is, Ken," I said.

"It is," Wolf said. "But, back to you wanting to act like you don't want to get your paws on Samus."

"…Why do we hang out again?"

"Okay, that's enough guys," Falcon said, waving his hands in front of him. "If Fox says he and Samus are just friends, then they are just friends."

"Fine, I'll drop it," Falco said. "But since we're talking, Ken… what is Ryu's deal?"

We talked more and more that night. And I forgot about their ribbing over the course of the course of it. I thought that was going to be the end of it. Unfortunately, Falco planted a seed that night. Or perhaps, he saw something I didn't notice before. Whatever it was, I spent the next few days actually thinking about Samus. Each time, it would end with me scoffing, thinking that such a thing would be ludicrous. And the next day, it would happen again. Eventually, I had to ask myself.

Did I like Samus like that?

A couple of days later, Samus asked me to help her with working on an old car she brought. So, I changed into a pair of worn jeans and a dingy T-Shirt – my usual outfit for mechanical work. When I met her, she was wearing a coverall. After some time working on the vehicle, we decided to rest. So, we both sat on the trunk of the vehicle, taking turns sipping from a canteen.

"So how'd that mission go?" I asked as I handed her the canteen.

"Well, I didn't have to blow up the planet, and I was able to get more than enough money to buy this pony we're sitting on," she replied. "So, I'd say it went swell. I'm still a bit sorry that we couldn't hang out."

"It is what it is." I shrugged my shoulders. I watched her as she took a swig before she passed the canteen back to me.

"What did you end up doing?"

"I just hung out with the fellas," I said as I took the canteen. "Captain Falcon figured a night at Delfino would be a good way to welcome Ken, so we went there, we drank, and shot the breeze."

"Sounds like a good time," Samus said as I took a sip. "I'm guessing the subject of girls came up." I didn't reply. Instead, I finished off the canteen and shook it before glancing at her.

"Ah, canteen is finished," I said with a smile.

"…I know for a fact you did that to avoid the question." She gave me a pointed look before grabbing the canteen. She hopped of the trunk of the car before she walked towards the water cooler. "I don't see the big deal. Truth be told, the women here talk about guys a lot."

"Do they?" I said.

"All the time." She stopped at the water cooler and started to fill the canteen. "Between you and me? Most of the women here are either straight-up romantics, nigh sex fiends, are some combination of both. Well, perhaps that is a bit of an exaggeration, but point is, we girls talk. Well, they talk – I merely listen."

"I see," I said. I was going to keep it at that, but curiosity got the better of me. "Do I get talked about?"

"…What if you do?" she replied with a teasing tone. She stood up and placed the canteen on top of the cooler. I then heard a zip. She went about pulling down the top of her coverall, leaving her upper body in a T-shirt. "Is there someone you have in mind?" She turned around and smiled at me. I wanted to change the subject or at least make a sarcastic comment. I couldn't. Instead, once my eyes landed on her, I couldn't help but look at her – really look at her.

I took in her face. She reminded me of a war goddess _._ She looked dangerous – the first time I saw her face, the look of anger she had was enough to take me off of my game. That same ferocity she showed in her fights was there. I took in her arms. Her arms weren't super-defined, but they toned enough to show that she was indeed quite strong, even without her suit on. Her eyes, her blue eyes… it was amazing to me that those eyes that capable of stopping someone cold in her tracks were also capable of having someone at ease.

 _She's quite the bombshell_ , I thought. _Wait, what am I thinking?_

"FOX!"

I snapped back into reality. Samus was looking at me with a look of concern… and a bit of a blush on her face. Well, that made two of us as my face started to heat up as well.

"Are you okay?" she asked.

"Yeah," I said as I stood up from a top of the trunk. "Yeah. I guess the heat in here just made me zone out a bit."

"Thirsty?" Samus walked up to me and held out the canteen.

"…Yeah…" I took the canteen before I started to guzzle the water harder than I attended to. I finished off half of the container before I lowered it from my lips. I used my free arm to wipe the excess water from around my mouth.

"You sure you don't need to call it a day?" I looked at Samus, who looked at me with a raised eyebrow.

"I'm good," I said. I smiled. "Really, I am."

"…Okay. Just don't go hurting yourself because you're about to faint from heat exhaustion."

We continued to work on the car as much as we could before Samus declared that all of the work we could do was done. After taking some time to rest, the two of us parted ways – there were a few exhibition matches going on tonight, with Samus being in one of them, so she wanted to get ready. I went to my room. Along the way, I started to think about earlier. It was my first time thinking of Samus in that way.

"Is Falco right?" I muttered to myself. Internally, I groaned. Maybe he was right. But I had no intention of letting him know that – especially since I wasn't that sure I felt that way about her, or if the feelings would be mutual. But the thought was in my head, and it already made the first payment on the lease.

Speaking of which…

As I made my trek, I saw Falco walking the opposite direction.

"Hey Fox," he greeted. I didn't say anything – I walked right past him. After some seconds, he spoke again. "Hey, what's your problem?!"

Without even changing my stride, I lifted up my right hand and gave him the one-finger salute.

He'll figure out what that was for.

Eventually.


	8. Chapter 8

(A/N: Yeah, I know. It's been a while. Life became quite hectic for a good while, and my muse went out the window. Fortunately, it's back after over a year. Sorry for the long wait.)

Fox and I were just friends. We went out together – sometimes for business, sometimes for fun.

A simple concept, right?

However, some people didn't seem to get it. Whenever Fox and I ate together at the mansion, I could see the eyes staring at us. There were times when Falco would pass by us with a sly smirk on his face. Peach would often talk about how great of a guy Fox was. And while I agreed, it was a bit annoying whenever she said he was boyfriend material.

Fox was just a friend.

Or so I thought.

However, a certain string of events happened.

I was walking around the mansion, looking for Fox. There was a bounty that I happened across and wondered if he was willing to team up with me to pursue it. I didn't really need the cash at the moment, but I wouldn't mind going 50/50 with him on it if he was interested. I finally did find him… laughing with Bayonetta. They looked happy. And that… didn't sit well with me, much to my confusion.

Fox was smiling as he turned his head. As soon as he spotted me, he nodded.

"Samus, hey," he greeted. "How are you?"

"I'm good," I said. "I was actually looking for you. There's a bounty I came across. I wanted to know if you're willing to pursue it. I wouldn't mind going half on it."

"Sure. Can we leave in about thirty minutes? I just want to check my weapons."

"Definitely."

"Cool. See you soon." He then turned towards Bayonetta. "I'll see you around."

"Definitely," Bayonetta stated in a sultry tone. "Thanks for the meal."

"Anytime." With that said, he walked off. I looked at him for a few moments. I then looked over at Bayonetta.

"Meal?" I said. Honestly, I didn't even know why I cared.

"Yeah. The sweet little fox treated me to lunch. It was quite the time." She chuckled. "He's such a gentleman. Almost makes me want another meal – with a side of him." As she said this, she looked off to the side in thought. She then looked at me suddenly. "Well, I'll be off. You and Fox play nice, now."

I watched her as she walked off. So he took her out. So what?

It wasn't a big deal.

It shouldn't have been a big deal.

It bugged the crap out of me, and it spilled over to the mission we took upon ourselves.

The bounty run went to Hell in a matter of moments. With the target in a building with more than enough windows for him to be vulnerable, the plan was for me to rush in while Fox provided cover fire with a sniper rifle. Unfortunately, his rifle malfunctioned and things got really fun. And by fun, I mean real hectic. I was on my own for about five minutes before Fox finally came into the picture. By the time were done, the whole entire floor was wrecked and the bounty was dead. And because of that, he was only worth enough to break even.

"So what the fuck happened?!" I asked as soon as he got back to the ship.

"My rifle malfunctioned," he said quietly. "I checked it, and –"

"Obviously you didn't check it enough!" As I interjected, I let my Power Suit phase away, leaving me in my Zero Suit. "I was stuck there! I could have been done in."

"I know, but – "

"But nothing, Fox. You fucked up! And this opportunity was wasted!"

I shouldered past him and just walked up to the cockpit of the ship. He didn't follow me. I didn't care. At least, not until we landed. As I walked out of the ship, I took off my helmet. I looked over his shoulder, watching him as he walked. He didn't look the least bit happy. He walked past me without saying a word. I kept on watching him, waiting for him to turn around or say something. But he didn't. He just entered the mansion. That was the last time I saw him that day. I stood there for second. I then huffed an indignant breath.

We didn't talk for a few days. I tried to act like it didn't bother me, but it did. And it spilled over into my matches. I ended going up against Bayonetta during my last match of the week. I was off my game, and I couldn't even get a single stock off of her. After the match, we were back in the arena. Bayo celebrated for a bit. She then walked over to me.

"I guess this wasn't your night, Sammy," she said with a smile and a wink over the cheering crowd. She then tapped the side of my shoulder with her hand. "Good fight."

"For you maybe," I replied bitterly. I then scoffed. "Well, bet Fox was happy to see that."

She raised an eyebrow. "…What do you mean by that?"

"Nothing." I turned away. "It's nothing." That was when the crowd went quiet suddenly. I looked around, noticing that none of the crowd was moving. I then turned towards Bayonetta, seeing her with her arms crossed. "What did you do?"

"I stopped time," she said simply. "It's something I do whenever I need to talk about a private issue in a not-so private place. Now, let's talk about that stick up your ass and what it has to do with Fox."

"It's nothing," I repeated. I tried keeping the bitterness out of my voice, but I failed. "Whatever is going on between you and Fox is none of my business."

"…Going on between me and… What are you talking about?"

"He took you out to lunch, didn't he?"

She stared at me with a blank expression. She chuckled as she shook her head. The chuckled turned into a full on laugh as she looked off to the side. She covered her mouth with her right hand before she turned her eyes towards me.

"So this is what this whole attitude is about. You think Fox and I are dating. Samus, sweetie, you're off-base?"

"Am I?" I retorted. "You and Fox had lunch together, right? You said you had a good time." Internally, I started to realize that I may have jumped to conclusions. Bayonetta was about to confirm it. Slowly, she walked around me.

"I did, Samus. But it was not a date. It was payment – payment I didn't ask for, but one I'd gladly received. He was dropping his car off to a mechanic and needed a ride back to the mansion. I gave him that ride, and he insisted we stopped for lunch, and he paid for my meal as a way of thanks. It was a good time because Fox is good company. You should know that."

She stopped at my left side. She then put her hand on my shoulder and brought her face near the side of my helmet.

"Now, I don't know how things are between you and Fox are, but it seems you have a thing for him. My advice? I suggest you get to him before another dame does – like me for instance." I took in a breath and gave her a sideways glare. She smiled. "Now, I'm going to undo this spell. When I do, I need you to carry me."

"…Carry you?"

"Yes. Stopping time on this scale takes a lot out of me." She smiled sheepishly.

I was tempted to just leave her there.

Later that day, I was in my room, looking at the phone in my hand. I had Fox's number pulled up. I was debating on whether or not to call him. I tapped the side of the phone with my index finger repeatedly, wondering if Fox was still angry with me. And if he was, would a phone call suffice. After some seconds, I decided to just message him.

I hit the message symbol, then started to tap away at the keyboard, muttering each word as I tapped it out.

"Meet… me… up… on… the… roof… in… five… minutes." I looked over the message. I hit send. After that, I stood up and walked over to my closet.

A couple of minutes later, I was on the roof of the mansion, dressed in red sweats. I looked up at the sky, watching the half moon. I recalled the time I chewed Fox out. Really, it was uncalled for – sometimes weapons malfunction, even when you thoroughly check them. It happened to me a few times. I couldn't help but groan.

"…What am I doing?" I said to myself.

"Good question."

I looked over my shoulder, seeing Fox standing at the door. He stared at me with a neutral expression. He himself was dressed in sweats – olive green, in his case.

"How long were you standing there?" I asked. He shrugged.

"About a minute." He walked towards me. "I was still debating on whether or not I wanted to be around you." I nodded slowly as he stopped a couple of feet short of me.

"I get that. I was a bitch." I looked down at the ground and kicked at it.

"I wouldn't say that much," Fox said. "Things went to hell real quickly back there."

"Yeah, but things happen." I looked at him. "…I wasn't even mad at you for that."

At that, Fox scoffed as he crossed his arms. "Oh really? You could've fooled me."

"I wasn't." I paused. I shook my head as I turned. "…It's stupid."

"How stupid?" As he said this, he walked up to my side. I smiled slightly as I scoffed. I shook my head and took in a breath.

"It's…" I paused for a moment. I then chuckled. "The reason I was in the bad mood is… well, I thought you and Bayonetta were… dating."

From my peripheral, I could see Fox's head tilt. He walked around me until he was right in front of me. "I beg your pardon."

"Yeah, I know." I sighed. "Bayonetta said you treated her to a meal, and I thought it meant you two went on a date. And that bothered me. So, when things went left on that bounty, I took it out on you." I let loose a breath. "I guess I was a little… It's just that…" I pressed my lips together, a little frustrated with myself. "Well, stupid me… I guess I was a bit worried I'd see less of you. I like it when we hang out, whether it be out in the field or just sitting around mocking movies and all that jazz. So… sorry." I frowned. "Sorry for blowing up on you like jealous little schoolgirl."

Fox stared at me for a few good seconds. Each second was like a minute to me, and each of those "minutes" had me a bit on edge. I wanted to say something, anything. He didn't… not at first. Instead, took a step forward and wrapped his arms around my ribcage and hugged me, placing the right side of his face just underneath my collarbone. I was caught off guard, and I froze for a moment. I felt my face heat up.

"Do you honestly think you'd lose me that easily?"

"I don't know… I heard foxes are hard to catch," I deadpanned, still processing this close contact between us.

"They are… until someone gets their trust."

I smiled. Tentatively, I brought my arms around him, trying my best to reciprocate the embrace.

"I'm not a hugger, so you better enjoy this," I warned. After he nodded, I squeezed him a bit tightly, prompting him to do the same thing. We relaxed our embrace as I rested my chin on top of his head. I turned my eyes downward when I saw Fox's tail, seeing it wag back and forth slowly. I smiled slightly at the sight of it. I actually found it cute.

"Hey Samus?"

"Yes, Fox?"

"Sorry things went left. I really thought that the rifle would be good for the job."

"It happens. Though, for now on, it'd probably be best if you stay close to me on missions from now on."

"Sounds good to me." He pulled away and looked me in the eyes. "I like it when we fight side by side."

My face became rather warm again. I tried to fight off the smile, but I failed. "I like it when we fight side by side, too." I continued staring at him for a bit. Then, without thinking, I brought my face towards his head. Internally, I tried to stop myself from what I just realized I was about to do. But it was a No Can Do. I was unable to stop myself from pressing my lips against his forehead. After the kiss, I quickly pulled away and looked at him, wanting to see his reaction.

He had his eyes closed. The fur on his face was more vibrant than usual. Even though his head was bowed, I was just able to see the small smile on his face. That smile remained when he looked me in the eye. I didn't break eye contact with him. Instead, I looked deeper, looking for any sign of offence. There was none. I looked a bit downward, trying to see if his tail was wagging back and forth.

It was.

I looked back at him and smiled. I brought my right hand on his cheek, gently scratching it. He closed his eyes as he turned his head into my touch.

We opened a door that night. It wasn't a wide open door, but it was ajar.

I was done fighting against the notion and possibility that we could be more than friends.


	9. Chapter 9

I walked with Samus back to her room. I couldn't keep the small smile off my face, nor could I keep my tail from wagging from side to side. When we reached her room, Samus looked at me and smiled.

"I'll see you around, Fox," she said.

"Likewise, Samus."

Her smile became a bit wider before she opened the door to the room and entered. I watched the door close before I made my way back to my room with a bit of pep to my step. Samus and I were in a different space now. I didn't know what that space was, but I liked it.

When I made it back to my room, I was whistling a tune as I opened the door. When I stepped in, I saw Falco, sitting on his bed with an icepack to his eye. I grimaced as I closed the door behind me.

"Hey, you okay?" I queried in concern.

"Yeah, I'm good," Falco replied with a groan. "I was just working with Captain Falcon on a job. The target snuck me, but we got him." He chuckled shortly. "I might have a shiner for a while, but it's nothing serious."

"That's good." I walked over to my dresser and started removing my sweatshirt, leaving myself in a wife beater.

"Yeah." He lowered the icepack, showing his swollen eye. "How about you? Are you still giving Samus the cold shoulder?"

"Nah." I shook my head as I tossed my shirt on the bed and reached in the drawer for a t-shirt. "I was just speaking with her before I came back here. We're good."

"Well that's good to hear." Falco put on a sly smirk, which I from my peripheral. "I hate seeing lovebirds fight." He was expecting a response. I didn't give him one. I pulled out a black t-shirt and put it over my head as I put it on. I then looked at him. He looked back at me, head tilted. He smirked once more. This one was a bit more innocent – well, for Falco's given standard of innocence, anyway. "You really do like her, don't you?"

"I don't know," I responded simply.

"You don't know?"

"I don't know." I shrugged. "What I do know is that I like hanging with her. She makes me smile, and I trust her." I shook my head. "We're friends right now." I used the word 'friend' for lack of a better term. Somehow, I felt it undersold what Samus and I were. "However, I'm not going to pretend that there isn't a little bit of a desire for more in me."

"Let me guess – you'll cross that bridge you get there?"

I nodded a couple of times. "I suppose."

He made a small noise of acknowledgement as he put the icepack back on his eye. He kept his one good eye on me, a solemn expression coming over his face. "Well, good luck. I know tease you a lot and everything, but I want you to be happy. With that said, though, just do you. You've always been better at this relationship thing than the rest of us."

I scoffed. "Says the only guy in the squad who's in a healthy relationship."

"Well, Fox, sometimes it's better to be lucky than to be good," he replied. "And I was lucky to find the one woman that has the patience to rival yours and the stubbornness to rival mine."

I chuckled. "Katt is something, isn't she? If it was up to me, she'd be in Star Fox yesterday."

"Yeah I know." He shrugged. "But it is what it is." He shrugged. "So, what's on tap for tonight?"

Over the next few days, Samus and I were hanging out again. I knew there were people still looking at us. I didn't care anymore. And she seemed to feel the same way. In a bit of a surprising move, she actually kissed my forehead in the middle of the cafeteria before we parted ways for the day. In a way, it was bit freeing. Whatever type of relationship we had, it was in our hands, not theirs. We dictated what it was. With that in mind, I walked out of the cafeteria with a smug smirk on my face and my tail wagging happily as everyone looked on.

I didn't have much to do that day. I didn't even have a match. So, while I was in the garage, helping Samus out with her car again, I asked if she wanted to do something that night.

"What do you have in mind?" she asked as she was kneeling in front of the front passenger brake, tightening the caliper with an Allan wrench.

"I don't know," I replied with a shrug. "Maybe we can go out to eat."

She grunted as she gave the wrench another turn. "…We could…" She didn't sound too thrilled.

"…But you don't want to, do you?"

"Not really. Any other day, I'd be up for it." She turned around on her knees and looked at me. "But I'd much rather stay home tonight."

My ears lowered a bit in disappointment. However, another idea popped into my head. "Then let's eat in. We can order what you want, and then we could… I dunno… see what's on demand."

Samus stared at me for a moment. She then tilted her head and gave me a coy smile. "…Fox, did you just petition me for Netflix and Chill?"

"What?" I quickly shook my head as I brought my arms in front of me as my speech increased in speed. I didn't want her to get the wrong idea. "No! No, I'm not trying to do that! I mean, sure we're hanging out, but, it doesn't have to be in either of our rooms. And even if it is, it doesn't necessarily have to be Netflix. We could do Hulu, Disney Plus, Curiosity Stream if you're in the mood for documentaries – we can even go the YouTube route, if that's your speed, and…" I trailed off as I noticed the expression on her face. Her lips were drawn into her mouth. Her eyebrows were raised as her eyes were locked in on me. And her shoulders were shaking a bit. She was holding back laughter. "You're screwing with me, aren't you?"

She took in a breath, held it for a moment, and released. She didn't laugh, but she couldn't keep the mischievous smile off of her face. "A bit," she admitted. "Yes, Fox, I'd like to eat with you and partake in whatever tickles our fancy on whichever streaming service we want in whichever room you want to occupy." I smiled at her.

"Thank you."

When we met up, we decided to hang out in her room. I was going to decide against it, but she assured me that Peach wasn't going to be back for a long while. As for food, we went with the most popular of Italian dishes – Pizza topped with chicken, bacon, and pineapple. We ended up binge-watching, of all things, Beastars – a show that Peach kept on bugging Samus about. She figured it'd be a win-win. Either we would enjoy it or mock it. So, we sat on the edge of her bed as we watched, two boxes of pizza between us.

Honestly, it was a good thing we did see it. It wasn't just because we enjoyed it. It also opened up some conversations for us.

"…Fox," Samus she said slowly. I already knew what she wanted to ask. "Are things like this? With Lylatians, I mean."

"In what way exactly?" I responded. "Dealing with animal instincts? The precarious nature between herbivores and carnivores? Or the rarity of relationships between those of different races?"

"…Yes."

She turned her head towards me. I smiled.

"While we can go beast mode at times, it never triggers a hunger in us… at least, not in the sane of us. Plus, we don't subscribe to the carnivore/herbivore thing – you can easily find a wolf that's a vegetarian and a deer who likes a good steak as much as the next person. As for romantic relations between different races…" I shrugged. "I wouldn't call it common… but I couldn't call it rare, either. Falco's currently dating a woman named Katt – I'll give you guess what kind of Lylatian she is."

"You ever heard of one dating a human?"

I turned my head towards her, seeing a certain look on her face. It was that same look she gave me when she asked me to be there at the press conference. Something told me she wanted me to say yes.

I couldn't, though.

"I can't say I have," I said slowly. "To be honest, prior to SSB being a thing, I don't think humans and Lylatians interacted much. If they did, I never heard of it." I then tilted my head briefly. "However, I'm sure that if you any Lylatian, I'd say they wouldn't mind dating a human."

"Even one with some alien DNA in her?" She smiled. "Asking for a friend."

"Well, tell your friend that they would be dating material for anyone."

Her face became a bit pink in the face. Curiously, she pushed the pizza boxes aside. My ears twitched before she leaned over and placed her hand on the back of my head. She brought her face forward and kissed my forehead. As she did so, she scratched the back of my head with her fingers. My tail started to wag.

I then started to purr.

I pulled away from her, eyes a bit wide. I felt my face warm up a bit. There were only two other people who made me purr like that. She stared back at me, eyes just as wide. She then put on a mischievous smile. Before I knew it, I was pulled into an embrace. Once again, she was scratching the back of my head with her fingers. I tried to keep myself from purring, but I couldn't – I enjoyed her touches. Giving up, I leaned into her, placing the side of my face against her chest and wrapped my arms around her as she continued to play with the fur on the back of my head as she rested the top of her chin on my head.

"You're enjoying this," Samus whispered.

I nodded. I then smirked. "I thought you weren't a hugger."

"I can stop if you want."

I shook my head quickly. "I'm good."

"Good."

We remained like that for the rest of our time together for the night, with Samus doing everything she could to make me purr and me trying very best not to.

And failing.


End file.
